Stuffed Bell Peppers (Pinoy Style)

I love bell peppers! When they abound in summer time, I think of all the recipes that I can use them for. You see, red and other colored (except for the green) bell peppers are quite expensive so I take advantage of buying them during summer when they are in season. I love getting the freshest most beautiful peppers in the Farmers' market.

One of the recipes I have been wanting to do for the longest time is stuffed bell peppers. The question is, what kind of stuffing should I make? I didn't want to use just the usual browned ground beef. I thought why not try to use my recipe for arroz a la cubana and do a Pinoy version of stuffed bell peppers? After all it's a recipe that calls for ground meat but with the addition of carrots, raisins and peppers/potatoes, hmmm....why not?

So I tried it and it worked! From now on, this will be my stuffing for bell peppers.

Most stuffed bell pepper recipes would call for the use of the oven to cook this dish. But it's summer time and I don't want to turn the house into a furnace in the middle of an already hot summer so I decided to experiment and use my cast iron instead. Instead of using the oven, I cooked it on the stove top. It worked too! Not only is it possible to cook stuffed bell peppers outside the oven, I also managed to cut the cooking time in half the time. Most of all, the peppers retained their lovely shape. Easy, quick and delicious cooking! Enjoy this recipe while the peppers abound!

For this dish, the arroz a la cubana recipe is indispensable. Click here to get the recipe. When using the recipe as a stuffing, I replace the peppers with red potatoes since we are already using them as the receptacle for the dish.

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Ingredients

Ground meat cooked based on arroz a la cubana recipe (click here).
6 large bell peppers of various colors (if using the entire arroz recipe)
1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce plus half a can of water 
1 teaspoon gluten-free Soy sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon gluten-free Oyster sauce, or to taste 
1 Tablespoon brown Sugar, or to taste 
Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

In a cast iron or any deep and large cooking pan, heat the tomato sauce and the water. Season with soy and oyster sauce, sugar and a little salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Try to achieve a balance between sweetness, saltiness and tartness. Simmer the sauce while you prepare the bell peppers.

Rinse and dry the bell peppers. Cut the tops off and remove the seeds. You may need to taper the bottom of the peppers to ensure that they stand.

Fill the bell peppers with the ground meat mixture up to the top and more if you wish.

Place the peppers inside the cast iron casserole and cook on gentle simmer for about 30 minutes or until the peppers are fully cooked through and tender.

Spoon the sauce on the peppers and serve them with steamed rice on the side. Yum! Truly Pinoy!

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Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs 10:12

Favorite Pot Roast (Dilled Pot Roast)

This is probably one of the earliest recipes I have ever tried and have truly fallen in love with. I have been cooking this for about 7 years now. What attracted me to this recipe was its simplicity. Slow cooked, only a few ingredients, how can I say no? And then we tasted the result, melt-in-your-mouth tender beef paired with a delicious dill-sour cream gravy...wow! So good! I so love this that I have never bothered to look for any other pot roast recipe ever since. I honestly have not prepared roast beef any other way. When you find the best, you stick to it.

When we travel abroad and I get the chance to cook, this is always on our menu. In South Africa, I even bought a slow cooker just so we can have this. We search for the chuck roast in the nearest market (unfortunately, not all countries have this particular cut) find a butcher who can cut us one, cook it, then serve it to our guests. It's always been a winner.

Just try it and you'll see what I mean!

Ingredients

3 - 4 lbs. Beef chuck roast

1-2 teaspoons dried Dill Weed, or to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup Water

2-3 Tablespoons  rice vinegar (I use 3 tablespoons if am cooking the 4 pounder)

3 Tbsp. Flour (or cornstarch diluted with water for gluten-free option)

1 cup Sour Cream

Procedure

Generously season the beef chuck roast with dill weed, salt and pepper. Truth is, I don't measure the amount of dill weed. I just eyeball it. Place the seasoned beef in the slow cooker. Add the water and vinegar. Cook on low for about 7-8 hours or until roast is tender. I usually crank up the slow cooker to high for the first hour and then turn it to low for the rest of the time. This is to speed up the simmering process a bit.

Remove the cooked roast from the slow cooker and transfer it into an oven-proof dish. Cover with foil. While I am doing the sour cream gravy I usually place the roast in the oven (250F) to keep it warm.

Add the sour cream and flour into the liquid that's left on the slow cooker. Mix by using a whisk until everything is combined and there are no more flour bits floating. Turn the cooker on high and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the gravy is thick enough and heated through. You may also add more dill if you like and adjust the seasoning to your taste. I just like it the way it is, tangy and delicious!

Take the roast out of the oven and serve with the sour cream gravy on the side. Have it with steamed rice and green veggies. Perfectly paired with green beans, broccolli or peas. Yum!

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Adapted from www.southernfood.about.com

Blueberry-Zucchini Bread

With both blueberries and zucchinis added, this summer bread comes out so moist and so deliciously good!  Perfect treat for the whole family!

One of the summer rituals in Michigan is blueberry picking. I love blueberry picking! I love that I can bring the tots to a blueberry farm so they can enjoy getting the blueberries straight from the trees. They love it too! They especially love to eat them straight from the trees as well so I end up doing most of the picking. I ask them, "So where are the berries that you picked?" And with that silly smile on their faces they say, "But we ate them already." Oh well, at least they had some free snacks! Here's Sophie with her friend, Gabby, posing by a blueberry tree.

Aren't these girls gorgeous?

We picked over 3 kilos of blueberries ( 6 lbs +) and now I have to think about what I'm going to do with them. Half of them would be eaten by my family, but the other half would be used for cooking. Am planning to go back to the blueberry farm before the season is over so I can get some more for freezing. That way, I can still enjoy my berries in the middle of winter! Yay!

Here's one of my favorite summer recipes, Blueberry-Zucchini Bread.

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups plain Flour 
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon  ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable Oil
1 cup Zucchini, grated/shredded
1 cup Blueberries (roll in flour before you fold them in to prevent the berries from sinking into the bottom of the pan)

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 F/ 180 C. Lightly grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients - flour, salt, sugar, leavening agents, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

In a mixing bowl beat together the eggs, vanilla, oil and zucchini.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined.

Fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for about 55-60 minutes, or until a tester/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool for about 30 minutes in the pan and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

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Mushroom and Feta Cheese Scramble

We love eggs for breakfast. But sometimes, the same old, same old style can get really boring. So, rummaging in the fridge one breakfast morning, I looked around to see what I can use with eggs. I saw some mushrooms and I always pair them with eggs. But I have half a tub of feta cheese that still needed to be used. So there goes, instead of the usual cheddar cheese on my omelette and scramble I thought why not feta instead. So here's an easy breakfast scramble that just works so well together! Let's have a great start to our morning!

 Ingredients

A little olive oil (about 2 Tbsp) or non-stick spray

5 large eggs (some eggs have really small yolks so add more if needed)

8 oz mushrooms sliced

2-3 tablespoons low fat crumbled feta (I had the flavored one but it doesn't matter really)

Salt and pepper, to taste

 Procedure

Heat a little oil or use a nonstick oil spray in a medium to large skillet. When the oil is hot enough, saute the mushrooms until tender about 5 minutes.

While you are sauteeing the mushrooms, crack the eggs and then whisk them to combine. Season with salt and pepper.  When the mushrooms are done, move them to one side of the pan and then pour in the eggs. Let them set for a bit.

Scramble until the eggs are almost done. Add half of the crumbled feta cheese and continue to cook until the eggs are fully done.

Serve with the remaining feta cheese on top. Don't forget the rice!

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Lovely Blogs

I  had mixed emotions when I first saw the message of Jen of jenbeansblog in one of my posts telling me that I had been nominated for the lovely blog award. I was both elated, humbled, in fact, a little embarassed, for being bestowed this honor.

Thank you very much Jen! You are so kind to give me such recognition. It will surely inspire me to make my blog even better.

Jen herself has quite a lovely blog. I especially love her bread section. Her posts are not only creative but also inspiring for those who wish to attempt any form of bread-making. I do hope you can check out her blog, too.


I learned that there are certain rules for this award. Once you have been kindly nominated for the award you ought to:

1. Link back to whoever nominated you. (Done that!)
2. Write 11 random facts about yourself. (This is going to be tricky....)
3. Nominate 11 bloggers. (That's easy enough though 11 may not be enough...)


Now for the 11 random things about me:

1. I grew up in an island called Marinduque, one of the 7,107 islands of the Philippines. Sadly, I am not a good swimmer despite having been surrounded by water most of my life and nearly drowned once.   

2. I am a lawyer by profession but currently a happy stay-at-home mom.

3. I used to work for the Philippine Senate and the Supreme Court.

4. Before I took up law, I was once a TV producer in one of the local networks in Manila.

5. I met my British husband in London while I was studying at Oxford.

6. By God's grace, I have been able to travel and visit over 130 cities in 26 countries.

7. I love to sing as much as I love to cook. Our neighbors in Manila were both my willing and unwilling audience for the longest time!

8. I've never tasted balut (Boiled duck embryo - a Filipino delicacy) and I don't think I ever will.

9. My scariest experience was when I was robbed at knifepoint in Manila..

10. I  have been involved in at least 3 major car accidents (2x in the US and once in South Africa). Never my fault in any of those. Yes, if things went really bad, I could have died. I am thankful to be alive.

11. But, I am not scared of whatever life may bring for I am a follower of Christ. I know He is in control.

Finally, here's my list of very noteworthy, very lovely blogs, indeed. I learn much from them and think they are all an excellent read. Therefore, I nominate them all for the lovely blog award.

1. http://www.awkwardkitchenette.com/  
2. http://www.agirlandherfood.com/ - 
3. http://www.sandraseasycooking.com/ 
4. http://katefromscratch.com/ 
5. http://esskunst.org/ 
6. http://messmakesfood.blogspot.co.uk/ 
7. http://www.shemakesandbakes.com/
8. http://sistersizzle.com/
9. http://bakerbettie.com/
10. http://www.nillawan.com/
11. http://menubyvicky.com/

Thanks again Jen for the recognition! Looking forward to sharing recipes with all of you!